Coming Home
by Grace Aurora
Summary: Peeta POV. AU where Peeta was never reaped and Katniss goes on to win the games. This is how their friendship and love blossomed from there. Will be nice and romantic when I get into it. Rated T just in case.
1. Coming Home

**A/N: This is an AU fan fiction where Peeta was never reaped and Katniss went on to win the games and how their relationship blossomed from there. It is all from Peeta's point of view because I just love his character. The first chapter is just to introduce you to the story really but after that I plan for it to be really sweet and romantic. Please review and tell me what you think, I would love to hear if you have an idea for where I could take this story. I don't write very quickly so don't expect updates straight away but I will do my best. I hope that you like it!**

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><p><span>Peeta's POV<span>

I'm watching the screen in the middle of the square along with all of the other residents of District 12. It's always hard for our district because we are a community and everyone here knows everyone. It's always hard when no one comes back and the constant reminder of the losses is on the faces of the families and friends. No one in 12 likes watching the games.

It's tense around the square as everyone watches the mutts surround the cornucopia and however it's going to end isn't going to be a pretty sight. I look away from the screen, I can't watch. How could I when the love of my life might be about to meet her death? I've been terrified for the whole of the games, worried sick every day as she has new difficulties to face but she's strong and she's a survivor. But this shouldn't even be happening, it's not right, it's not fair. I should have volunteered to go in with her but at the reaping I just couldn't face it, I was a coward. I should be in there protecting her but I suppose she's done alright on her own. Maybe I would have held her back. I'm fighting with myself over what I should have done but I suppose there's nothing I can do now. I think about all the things I should have said to her but never did. Now I may never get the chance to. Tears sting my eyes; this wasn't how it was supposed to happen.

The sound from the speakers change. The noise is an ear splitting roar. I snap my head back to the screens to see what has happened readying myself for the worst case scenario. But the sound is cheering and clapping and all around me people are hugging one another and clapping. The games are over. I see Katniss being lifted into hovercraft, alive. I am overcome with happiness. She did it, she won the games!

My father is standing next to me, his eyes are wet and I know he's feeling admiration for the poor girl from the Seam. Our eyes meet, he has always known the feelings I've had for her and he pulls me into a tight embrace. "She was always a survivor, she won! She's coming home to twelve, to you," his voice is muffled into my shoulder. I know what it means; he's saying I still have a chance. And I won't for the life of me miss it.

Across the square is her family, her mother and little sister are holding one another crying but I know that it's tears of joy. Everyone in twelve has been looking out for the Everdeens, being from the Seam people knew how hard it would be for the family without Katniss; she was the provider and carer. People would drop by every day to provide them with food and other basic necessities; my father was one of them. It had taken a lot of convincing my mother, she looks down on the people from the Seam and she hates losing money but my father was adamant and made sure a loaf was set aside every day.

Beside them is gale, I can tell he's relieved and his smile is broader than anyone else's but I can't help but wonder what will happen between the both of them when she returns home. Everyone knows of the relationship the two of them have, and I think most people assume they're going to get married one day. I'm disheartened, how can I compete with Gale? He's tall and handsome and I know he would be able to provide for her one day. But I can too, I know my family isn't the richest of merchants but with my bread I would always make sure that she would never go hungry.

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><p>A week after the end of the games and it is the day Katniss is coming home. All over the district there are decorations and in the square there is a celebration feast and a party for everyone in the evening. With the extra rations sent to us by the Capitol I know that no one is going to go hungry tonight. I can't wait to see her again, it seems like she's been away forever. I know that if I can see her in the flesh I know it will all be real and I didn't just dream it all up. I will have to wait though as only family are allowed to go see her on the platform and even if I tried I wouldn't be able to get through the hundreds of reporters. She has never been one for wanting lots of attention but I'm sure she is used to it by now, being paraded in front of all of Panem.<p>

I have been working on something special to welcome her back home. I talked it through with my father and together we have been saving up left over ingredients, just enough for a perfect cupcake. The special part is that I've iced a flower on top. It's a Katniss flower. It took me well over an hour because I wanted it to be perfect. She deserves it to be perfect. I wanted to get it exactly right so I decided to go into the woods to have a look at the flower myself.

_I had seen her go in and out before a hundred of times so one day I followed in her footsteps under the fence and into the woods beyond. It was beautiful there, everything was so calm and serene and I followed the noise of babbling water until I found a stream. On the bank were the flowers, hundreds of them in full bloom, they were beautiful but not as beautiful as the girl named after them. I carefully placed one in my pocket and set off home. I had been out for a lot longer than I expected as the bakery is a fair walk from the fence, as I was getting close to home it was dusk. My mother was waiting outside, arms folded across her chest staring at me from the moment I had turned the corner into her view. I knew I was going to be in trouble, she had waited until we were inside away from prying eyes when she turned to face me. She shouted at me for over an hour and it ended with a backhanded slap across my jaw and a promise of no dinner. But it was worth it._

Me and my father have been helping set up the feast in the square. We had been baking for three days solid to prepare bread, cakes and other delicacies. There were hundreds of large circular tables set out along three sides of the square all surrounded by chairs. The fourth side was where the justice building stood. At the top of the steps stood several instruments laid out ready for the band later that evening. In the middle was a large space cleared for dancing. We had been setting up for a couple of hours putting bread on all of the tables along with an assortment of pastries and cakes and then covering them with wicker baskets so that they would keep. After over two hours of preparation we are done and so we return home to get ready.

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><p>The sun is just setting when me and my family head towards the square. There are hundreds of other people heading in the same direction as us ready to celebrate District 12's second ever victor. The sight of the square blows me away when I see it. It looks so different from when I was there only an hour ago. Over head there are hundreds of twinkly lights strung from each of the buildings to cast a glow on the dance floor below. They look like hundreds of stars. We head toward a table and seat ourselves next to another merchant family that we live near. There is a hum of chatter and the band is playing a relaxing tune to welcome the guests.<p>

A large man I recognise as the mayor walks the steps of the justice building and clears his throat into the microphone, "Welcome everyone! I would like to thank everyone for attending tonight for the victory celebrations of Miss Katniss Everdeen!" There is a roar from the crowd as everyone claps and cheers, they mayor gestures toward the doors of the justice building where they swing open. A silhouette appears in the doorway and the figure finds its way into the light, Katniss.

The sight of her takes my breath away. She looks tall and confident as she steps toward the mayor and shakes his hand. Hey dark hair is wavy and natural down her back, it is framing her face. She is wearing a floor length dress in emerald green that shines in the glow of the hundreds of tiny lights above our heads. She looks dazzling but the thing I can't take my eyes off is her smile. I didn't realise until now that I am standing and gawping at her but many people have risen out of their seats as well so I don't look suspicious. She makes her way down the steps towards her family my eyes are glued to her all the way and the party begins.


	2. The Celebration Dance

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter! I hope you are enjoying the story so far. Please review!**

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><p>The party is in full swing, the band is playing happy, up-tempo songs and soon enough there are lots of people on the dance floor. Everyone on my table is chatting and having a good time but I am too distracted. There are swarms of people surrounding her, shaking her hands and giving her their congratulations. From where I'm sitting I can't even see her anymore, I will just have to wait.<p>

I need something to distract me so I decide to look for my best friends from school. Cole is from a merchant family as well and he only lives round the corner so we spend most of our time together, he and his twin sister Anise have been my best friends as long as I can remember. If you look at them you wouldn't think they are related apart from the fact they are both tall and have the same piercing blue eyes. Cole has dark brown hair and is extremely well built from working with his father as a blacksmith. Anise on the other hand has long blonde hair and is very slender. I find their table right next to the dance floor.

"Hey Cole!" I greet him as I give him a slap on the back; he turns around and greets me with a punch on the shoulder and I notice his sister sat further up the table, "Anise! How are you both?"

"Hi Peeta! I'm good thank you, doesn't everything look amazing," she looked around in awe.

"It does," I agree with my eyes on Katniss on the other side of the dance floor, everything did look amazing but it didn't compare to her. The crowd around her has thinned a little now and I can see her talking to her little sister, Prim. Her face is lit up and they are both laughing and smiling, she's radiant. Cole brings me back to earth again with another punch to the shoulder.

"Sorry to take you away from drooling over Katniss," he smirked and I hit him lightly over the head trying to hide my blush, "come on, sit down, we need a catch up. I haven't seen you in about a week!" I take a seat next to him and Anise comes over to sit on my other side so we can talk easier. We talk for a while about how much they've missed me being around and what they've been doing while I have been hard at work in the bakery but my attention is far away across the other side of the square. I try not to make it obvious and join in the conversation laughing here and there.

The band picks up volume with a quick song and Anise tries to get me and Cole to join in with the dancing. "Come on, please!" She begs as she tries to pull us up by our arms, "There are lots of girls dancing Cole..." With that he stands brushing himself to look more presentable.

"You know, I forgot how much I love this song!" He says with a wink and walks off into the throng disappearing immediately. Me and Anise laugh and she shakes her head.

"So predictable! Come on Peeta, just one dance! For me?" She smiled and batted her eyelashes, I relented with a laugh. She led me onto the floor weaving in and out of the other dancers. The song was fast and everyone was skipping and twirling doing whatever they wanted. Looking around everyone was laughing and happy, enjoying themselves so I allow myself to get swept up in the dancing.

The song comes to an end and everyone claps, the singer then announces the next song, District twelve's renowned celebration dance, in honour of the return of Katniss. Many of the people still sitting down rise to their feet to join in, not wanting to miss out. Everyone starts to partner up, Anise pulls me over and we find ourselves a space. The music starts up again, quick like the last song and everyone starts dancing a waltz, everyone is in unison. Suddenly I find myself extremely close to Anise as we dance and spin. She is looking at me and smiling and I smile back feeling uneasy. I am quickly rescued as she spins out away from me and into the arms of another man.

I find myself with a new partner; she is much smaller and younger than Anise. Prim is looking up at me and smiling but I don't feel uneasy this time. I have gotten to know her quite well over the past month while her sister has been away. In the morning my father would take their family some bread but after a while he was needed more and more in the bakery so I volunteered to take it along for him.

_It was an early morning when I first went to the house in the Seam. I didn't go into that area very often, my mother made sure of that. She would tell me that it's dirty and unsafe but I didn't care. I knew lots of the children from school who lived there and they were nice all the same, they just had poor living conditions, it wasn't their fault. My father had given me directions to the house and I found it quite easily, it was run down and neglected. I knocked on the door and Prim opened it with a smile._

"_Hello, I'm Peeta, the baker's son. I brought your bread for today," I greeted her with a smile. My father had always said she was endearing and her smile was contagious. _

"_Thank you Peeta," she said as she took the loaf from my hands. I felt something rub against my shins, I looked down to see a scraggly yellow fur ball. I leaned down to give it a stroke and it purred at my touch. I head Prim giggle, "He likes you! Buttercup hates Katniss!" She went on to tell me how she had found the cat and cared for it. After that day I went every morning with the bread and we would talk about all kinds of things. Sometimes I would sneak her a cookie from the bakery and soon enough we became friends, I felt like I big brother to her._

I come back to the present and smile back at her, "Prim! Don't you look lovely in your dress!" She blushes at the compliment as I lift her off the ground to spin her. She is laughing and the sound of it makes me smile.

"Thank you Peeta, you look very handsome tonight," she returns the compliment. "I'm so glad Katniss is home, we've all missed her so much!" She looks so overjoyed with tears welling up in her eyes.

"Didn't I tell you she would win?" I smile. We had talked about Katniss and the games on many occasions, it always made her sad to think about, truth be told it killed me too but I always tried to make her feel better about it.

She smiles and nods, "thank you for everything." And with that she twirls away from me and I have another new partner. This time it is an old woman that I don't know and so for the rest of the song I dance and enjoy myself.

I am exhausted as the song finishes and I take no time getting away from the dance floor back to the table where I was seated with Cole and Anise. Cole is already at the table with a girl I recognise from school. I flop down into an empty chair and catch my breath taking large sips from a glass of water.

"How did you like dancing with your future wife then?" Cole asks with a cheeky grin. I wonder who he is talking about, did he mean his sister? I love Anise, but I can't imagine getting married to her, we are friends and I count her as a sister. He must have noticed my confusion because he starts laughing, "Mrs Davison sure did look nice tonight." She is one of the women I danced with, over seventy years old and deaf in one ear. She is well known in twelve because she is the oldest resident.

"Very funny," I roll my eyes and shove him. He laughs and then goes back to talking to his date he acquired. I decide to get away from the table as I hear kissing noises. I get up and decide to go back to the table my family is sat on. I take a seat next to my father and he greets me.

"Alright son, how are you enjoying yourself?" he asks.

"I'm having a great time, I was just dancing with Prim not long ago," I reply. I've told my father about the friendship between me and the lovely young girl.

He smiles, "I'm sure she's having a lovely time," he looks over to see her dancing with Gale, she is laughing as he swings her round. "That reminds me, have you spoken to our radiant victor yet?" He is talking in a lower voice now, so that my mother can't hear. I shake my head and blush. "She doesn't have a mob following her now, you know?" He reaches under the table and pulls out a small box with the cake inside. He puts it in my hand and pats me on the shoulder, signalling me to leave.

Over to my right she is sat at a table with her mother and she is watching Prim dance with Gale. She looks content. I can feel my heart beat suddenly increase as I stand up and make my way over. This is it, this is my chance. I take deep breaths to calm myself; I am almost there now, coming up behind her table. I reach out and tap her on the shoulder.


	3. A Gift

**A/N: Finally some Katniss and Peeta in this chapter! Thank you for all of the reviews, I love to hear what you all think. I hope you are all enjoying the story and keep on reading. Please review!**

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><p>My heart beat is so loud that I can't hear the music any more, it is fast and frantic. It feels like the world has stopped spinning and everything has slowed down. My hands are clammy and I fear the small box in my hand is going to slip, ruining hours of work. Eleven years have led up to this moment. This will be the first time I speak to her. It's crazy that all this time I have spent watching her and dreaming about her, we've never even had a conversation before. This has to go well. Breathe in, breathe out.<p>

She turns her head slowly to look at me; her grey eyes are shining from the lights above. She looks breathtaking. She is smiling at first but then it turns into a look of confusion.

I try to say something but my mouth has stopped working. Breathe in, breathe out. I clear my throat and try again. "Hi, I'm Peeta," I smile with as much confidence as I can muster up.

"Hi," she smiles again politely, "No, I know who you are. You work at the bakery." Her eyes wonder off over my shoulder. I wonder what she is thinking about, I hope I'm not boring her.

"Congratulations, for winning," I say with a smile but a smile doesn't meet me back. Her eyes look sad and she looks to the ground.

"Thank you, but I don't see it as a victory," her voice is full of resentment and sadness. I can understand why, all of those children killed, gone, for no good reason. Children who will never get to grow up and be happy. Children who didn't even get a chance at life, through no fault of their own.

"I understand," I say but she looks at me in disbelief.

"You don't understand! You have no idea!" she growls under her voice.

"No, I don't mean... It's just...I'm sorry, it must have been hard for you," I string together as best I can. I can see the fight seep out of her and she looks sad again. "Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, I should go..." I turn to walk away. What did I just do? I ruined everything. It was supposed to be the perfect magical moment where I would sweep her off her feet and everything would just be how I imagined. I sigh; things probably couldn't have gone worse than they had.

"Wait," I hear a quiet voice behind me. I turn around slowly to find her reaching out to me with a shy smile on her face, "thank you for the bread, while I was away."

"No problem, I'm glad I could help," I say honestly. I look to the floor to hide the blush that's creeping up my face when I spot I box. I forgot I had been holding it. "Oh, erm... I made this for you," I say with a shy smile, surely my face must be bright red. She looks quizzically at the small box that I'm holding out to her and then looks at me as if to ask what it is. I give her a nod and she slowly and carefully takes the box from me.

She opens the lid and peers inside. Her face is one of awe; she carefully takes it out of the box to study it in the light. She looks like she can't believe her eyes and she can't take them off the cake. Her mouth is hanging open, "you _made_ this?" She looks up at me, "It's beautiful, and the flower... it's perfect."

I smile, I'm so glad that she likes it. That I did something that made her happy, "thank you, I'm glad you like it." I must be glowing.

"It's a Katniss flower," she says with a smile on her face still studying the cake, holding it up to the light. Then her face changes suddenly and she shakes her head with a frown, "I can't take this." She looks sad as she puts the cake back in the box and closes the lid.

"What?" I'm confused. Why can't she take it? Nothing is going the way I thought that it would.

"It's too much," she says shaking her head and offering the box back to me. She's looking at the floor avoiding my eyes.

"Katniss," I say my voice is intense and it makes her look up at me. I look deep into her eyes so that she understands what I'm about to say, "Take it. I made it for you. After all you've been through, with the games and everything else in your life, you deserve something special." She gives me a shy smile and blushes a little.

"And besides," I continue, "I wouldn't take it back even if you tried to make me." I laugh a little and she does too, she looks down at the little box and then places it on the table.

"Thank you," she says her voice is sincere and she smiles at me. The song is coming to an end now and some people are exiting and the dance floor, Prim and Gale included so I decide to excuse myself.

"Well, I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening," I say and she nods a thanks in return. She slowly turns around to greet her family but I have one last thing to say.

"And Katniss..." She looks back over her shoulder, "I'm glad you're back." She looks confused but she smiles again politely. I realise that it might sound very strange coming from someone she is speaking to for the first time and I try to make the situation less awkward for the both of us, "Yes, I've missed your squirrels." She laughs and shakes her head and returns to her family.

I walk away from her not caring where I am going. I am positively glowing, it wasn't the perfect encounter I had envisioned in my head over the years but it was a start. She had the cake and she said it was beautiful. I held my tongue at the time; I wanted to tell her that the flower Katniss wasn't as beautiful as the girl named after it. One step at a time.

I find myself sat back at the table with Cole and his date and Anise. A few more people have joined the table, friends from school; everyone is chatting and laughing together. I settle myself next to Cole and Delly. My mind is a million miles away as I can't stop thinking about Katniss. Someone nudges me on the shoulder. I return to earth to see Cole is looking at me with his eyebrows raised.

"What?" I ask confused. He shakes his head and laughs.

"I said, where have you been?" he said every word slowly and loudly as if talking to a young child. I hit him on the arm and shake my head.

"Well, I needed to talk to someone," I say very vaguely, my eyes wondering over to her table and lingering half a second too long. He catches my gaze and looks in the same direction, his head swings back to me with his mouth open in shock.

"You _actually_ spoke to her?" he is stunned, "When did you all of a sudden become a man?" He teases me and laughs. I take him by surprise and lunge for him gripping him in a headlock. Now I'm the one laughing.

"What was that Cole?" I ask innocently. He back pedals trying to get out of the situation.

"I was kidding Peeta! You're the manliest man in all of Panem!" I scruff up his hair and let him go. He rubs his neck and sulks. I know he is only messing around, trying to get some sympathy off his date.

"Ah, I thought that's what you said!" I smile proudly and give him a friendly slap on the back.

"So go on then, tell me what happened" he leans in interested, I also see a few other heads turn in my direction eager to hear the story, one of them is Anise.

"I just congratulated her," I say much to many people's disappointment. There's only my father who _really_ knows about my feelings towards Katniss but Cole isn't stupid he caught me staring at her enough times to figure out that I had feelings for her. He raises his eyebrows at me questioningly but I just stare him down. Everyone has lost interest by now so nobody sees the exchange, apart from Anise who is sat at the opposite side of the table to us. She's looking at us with a confused expression, like she's trying to read our minds.

The rest of the night goes by in a breeze, I don't do anymore dancing and so I spend the rest of the night talking to my friends, laughing and enjoying myself. I occasionally let my mind drift off and sneak a glimpse of Katniss. At one point I take a mental picture of her smiling so that I will always be able to remember how beautiful it is. By the time my face hits my pillow I'm exhausted but I know that my dreams tonight will be wonderful as Katniss is the only thing I can think of.


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